Having gone undefeated in the groups stage of the Overwatch Rivalcade Rumble, the Detroit Renegades were second seed for the bracket rounds the next day. Were they able to hold on to the momentum that served them so well in groups? We were there to get it all on video.

The Detroit Renegades are a pro Overwatch team that lives and plays together in a house in Rochester, Michigan. We visited their home to watch them train and compete in the Rivalcade Rumble, as they strive to claim their first tournament victory together. The chemistry these guys have is infectious, and in this video,…

As esports become a bigger and bigger deal, one phenomenon that’s growing in popularity is the “team house.” Having a bunch of players live, game, and hang out together 24/7 (or close to it) is economical, but more importantly, it fosters the collaboration, precision, and team cohesion necessary to prevail in any…

The trajectory of a professional gamer’s life plays out much like a tournament. A slow ascent in the beginning, a major breakthrough to the big time, and finally an explosion of success, a culmination of what they’ve been building toward for so long. It’s this success that drives pros: the few, glorious moments at the…

It’s been a decade since the documentary The King Of Kong: A Fistful Of Quarters portrayed the feud between Steve Wiebe and Billy Mitchell as they vied for the title of worldwide Donkey Kong champion. The film enraptured audiences whether they loved games or not: the story was as universal and compelling as David and…

Anyone who still clings to old stereotypes about professional gamers might be shocked by how polished the industry — and the pros themselves — look today. Pro gamers aren’t basement-dwelling nerds. They’re incredibly cool under pressure, they’re impeccably well-groomed, they give confident interviews, and they engage…

“I believe that you shouldn’t pick a nickname yourself — people should give you a nickname,” Dutch Street Fighter V player Sven van de Wege told me recently. When Sven entered his first tournament in Madrid last April, his screen name, which many players use to show off wild pseudonyms, was simply “Sven.”

Speedrunning is a lot like regular running. The idea is to get from point A to point B as quickly as possible. Super Mario Bros. in under five minutes? Done. Ocarina of Time in under 20? No problemo (more on this later). It should be monotonous and boring, but in the hands of a master, it’s entrancing. YouTube is…

For many esports players, choosing the right peripherals can make or break your gameplay. And for athletes in the fighting-game community, the most important tool in their arsenal is the fightstick. Every movement, every fireball, and every use of meter demands precision, as every single input matters and is…

On Saturday, three hundred esports fans and players had the rare opportunity to challenge professional gaming masters at Can You Beat An Esports Champion? Hundreds more watched live on Twitch. The event was hosted by Compete at our New York City HQ, in partnership with Gillette, Kotaku, and Deadspin.

Why do we keep coming back to games that make us want to throw our controllers across the room? A hard video game is a measurable challenge. We play, we die, we play again. We practice, we memorize levels, and we find ourselves getting better. What we’re really doing is fine-tuning and honing our precision until we’ve…

The world of esports is perceived as a boy’s club, so women in competitive gaming already face an uphill battle. But superior gameplay is superior gameplay, and precision skills are not the exclusive province of any gender.

We’ve all seen it, and some of us have lived it: The stigma, which has long afflicted the gaming community, of downing soda, potato chips, and energy drinks during an hours-long gaming run, without a break or a non-packaged food in sight.

New Kotaku/Deadspin esports collabo Compete, in partnership with Gillette, is hosting the first-ever Compete Showdown on May 13. Attendees will get to test their skills against a Street Fighter V pro player, and you’re invited — if, that is, you have a great tale of precision to share with us.

In traditional sports, leadership roles are well-defined — the quarterback sets the play, and the team listens up. In competitive gaming, the need is just as strong for someone who can make choices under pressure, who can quickly size up an opponent’s weakness and leverage his team’s strong points against them: a…

Enrique “xPeke” Martínez has been playing competitive League of Legends since the very beginning, with Fnatic during Season 1 of the LCS. As such — and in his current capacity as owner and manager of Origen — the world champion has a uniquely 30,000-foot view of the game that made him famous.